It’s not hard to see why. This scruffy slice of British miserabilism, spliced with plucky kid comedy and elements of horse love movies, pushes a lot of pre-programmed buttons foreign film fans may not even know they have. Heck, it’s even got subtitles, though you don’t always need them to decipher the thick, English Midlands accents.

But don’t let the early misadventures of two foul-mouthed, copper wire-pilfering, expelled middle school lads lull you into complacency. This thing packs a third act wallop that pushes the story to the edge of high tragedy, and the resulting consequences play out with a rare, profoundly sensitive emotional intelligence.

Anyone who saw Clio Barnard’s experimental biodoc “The Arbor” should expect something true and special from her feature directing debut. They will not be disappointed.